Various radio-frequency identification (“RFID”) tag devices have been used in tracking systems in the past and are currently in use. A typical system includes an RFID tag that provides non-volatile memory for storing information and a means well known in the art for interacting with an interrogator (or reader). The RFID tags may contain identifier information associated with the particular objects to be tracked and are attached to the objects.
The RFID interrogator is used to detect the presence of an RFID tag and to read the information stored on the RFID tag. A typical RFID interrogator includes an RF transceiver for transmitting interrogation signals to the RFID tag and receiving response signals from RFID tags. The interrogator also includes one or more antennae connected to the transceiver and associated decoders and encoders for reading and writing the encoded information in the received and transmitted RF signals, respectively. After detecting a RFID tag attached to an object, an information processing unit associated with the interrogator determines that the object is present, and updates a database accordingly.
In addition, a global positioning system (“GPS”) may be integrated into the system to identify a geographic location of the RFID tag when detected. The geographic location may also be stored in the database. However, the prior art RFID systems do not have the ability to backfeed the geographic location information to an existing inventory management system by correlating x-y boundaries to a row-slot storage numbering system within a parking lot often used in the vehicle industry.
It is, therefore, to the effective resolution of the aforementioned problems and shortcomings of the prior art that the present invention is directed.